Veterans Appreciation Night Celebrates CSUF Vets

Awards/Honors

CSUF News Service

April 29, 2019

Nick Deitz, who will receive a bachelor’s degree in business administration-management, celebrates at the 12th Annual Veterans Appreciation Night. CSUF President Fram Virjee was on hand to offer his congratulations.

Graduating veterans enjoyed the recognition of their military and academic accomplishments.

Hundreds of family members, friends, fellow veterans and Cal State Fullerton faculty and staff members were on hand to honor student veterans Saturday, April 27, at the university’s 12th annual Veterans Appreciation Night.

“Cal State Fullerton has a history of showing our appreciation to our veterans,” said CSUF President Fram Virjee. “Veterans are so important to our campus that I wanted to be here, personally, to show our appreciation for your service to our country, our community and our campus and to celebrate your accomplishments, commitment and hard work.”

He went on praise the work of the Veterans Resource Center (VRC) that provides services to vets and military-connected students to help them achieve personal, academic and professional success. He noted that the VRC “leads the way” with its core values.

“I want to thank the VRC staff who serve, day in and day out, to help our veterans,” he said.

“But tonight is about you — our graduating student veterans,” he continued, addressing the veterans and their families. “You have not only served your country with honor and distinction, you have brought the lessons that you learned to our institution. You inspire us. We can never repay you for your service and sacrifice but we can always honor you.

“Now you have added another great accomplishment in your life — an education. You are now on to the next chapter of your life and we have no doubt you will accomplish your mission successfully … as you’ve always done.”

Cameron Cook, director of the Veteran Resource Center, also addressed the veterans and their families and friends.

“This is a time to acknowledge your service,” he said. “Many have persevered through challenges. We have given our blood, sweat and tears, we understand each other … and we need each other. That’s what the VRC helps provide — a place to get answers and support.”

Cal State Fullerton veterans have an average grade point average of 3.15, a 71 percent rate of graduation, and a retention rate of 86 percent. These figures are higher than the rates found at other colleges. In fact, 134 of the nearly 500 student veterans will walk across the stage in a few weeks to celebrate their graduation.

Dennis Butler, a student graduating with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, described the impact that the group had on him.

“Our experiences led us to where we are today,” he said. “Because of the VRC, I was involved in many activities such as beach clean-up, golf tournaments, family events.... I found support to achieve my educational goals. To my fellow students, always remember to strive for greatness and never settle.”

Veterans in the Class of 2019 include (all are earning bachelor’s degrees unless noted):

Christina Aleman, psychology

Danielle Barbaro, business administration-management

Robert Bohon, human services

Dennis Butler, electrical engineering

Alberto Camacho, psychology

David Carpenter, mechanical engineering

Dylan Dang, history

Allen Dehnke, information systems

Nicholas Deitz, business administration-management

Alicia Estrada, business administration-human resources management

Alyssa Gurdon, political science

Michelle Holloway, human services

Kelsey Hyde, economics

Jesse Jeffries, criminal justice

Seung Kang, business administration-management

Marshall Kang, criminal justice

Quang Lam, computer science

Jason Lamb, human services

Ariana Magana, biological science

Sean Moran, psychology

Tom Nguyen, business administration-business analytics

Caleb Perez, public administration

Tatiana Sevilla, sociology

Jacqueline Smith, kinesiology

Amy Thronsom, communications-entertainment and tourism

Christian Velez, kinesiology

In addition to honoring upcoming graduates, scholarships were also presented to those continuing their path to a degree. Recipients of the Veteran Scholarship for Success were Hector Buenrostro and Isaiah Henderson. The recipients of the Orange County Real Estate Veterans Initiative Scholarships were Stephen Davies, Graham Sharp, Charles Wiemers, David Fuhrmann, Nadine Garcia, Garret Gill, Isaiah Henderson, Diamond Byrd, Tony Martin, Christian Velez and Justin Wise.

The VRC also recognized several faculty and staff members for their support of the center and its programs. Recipients were President Fram Virjee; Clint Michael Reneau, associate vice president for student affairs-student retention; and Rochelle Woods, executive director, student affairs-student retention.